Hey guys! How's your life treating you? Ours is all fine and dandy.

Chapter 7

Tris

"Uncle Caleb?"

I freeze in my tracks as soon as I hear those two words. I know that I that I don't even have to look at him to know exactly who that 'Uncle Caleb' is. Granger stops skating and stands by me. My expression must show because Granger looks kind of worried.

Tobias leaves my side for the time being and meets Aaralynn where she is at. "Caleb, I sent you those papers today."

"Yeah I know, but there was a miss print on this page. The entire scientific population is depending on it being perfect." I hear him snort from my spot on the ice and Tobias takes the papers out of his hands.

"No it clearly states that the city voted, and allowed this experiment to happen."

"But the time limit for it, that's impossible. This experiment will take at least two months. This one month time limit is insane."

Tobias runs his hand over his face. This is the first time today I actually realized that how tired he must be. He's been working all week basically nonstop, Aaralynn has been staying at all week. "Caleb you are going to have to make this time limit work. I've fought all week just to allow this to happen. Do you think that the community could easily work with this time limit?"

"I don't understand? Why won't the allow us to work on this another month? Can't you try to fight for this some more?"

"Caleb I'm leaving the city tomorrow. Tonight is my night off to pack. If the council finds out that I want to revote on this again, I'll be in trouble. There have been at least 10 Division of the Assemblies on it already. I can't do much."

Caleb makes a disgusted noise, thanks Tobias and walks out. I sigh in relief, I didn't even know that I've been scared about what he was going to say, if he saw me.

"Mom, who was that?" Granger whispers to me.

"I'll tell you when we get back to the apartment." I whisper back.

I watch Tobias rest his head on the glass of the rink. "Granger I think that we better get ready to go. We need to finish packing for tomorrow."

"What no we-"

"Granger."

He listens and he helps me off the ice.

"See you in the morning." I say to Aaralynn and she smiles at me.

"Night Tris."

I look at Tobias, he is still resting his head on the glass. "Tobias. Go to bed, you need it."

He doesn't try to argue with me.


The next day...

"Come on Granger lets go!" I shout from the doorway of the apartment. Bear starts to pull on the leash telling me he wants to go, but I pull back.

"Mom, just a second...where are...oh never mind I found them." A few more crashes sound around the apartment and I sigh. When I leave, I want the apartment to be clean, but I can't because this always happens.

"Granger, by this rate your father will be at the front door. I told him to wait outside the compound 20 minutes ago."

"Can you leave without me?"

"No I can't I have the keys and have to make sure everything is locked up properly. What are you looking for anyway?"

"My dress shirt and shoes and...wait I just found my other sock."

I groan and press my head against the door. "I thought you had all of this packed last night."

"No...me do something on time? Yeah right." Cloths are thrown onto the suitcase that sits in the futon in front of me. His nice light blue dress shirt and two miss matching socks.

"Do you at least have your dress pants packed?"

"Yeah."

I walk over to his clothes to start folding them to be put in the bag. When I get to the socks, I instantly drop them. "Granger Alexzander these are supposed to be clean socks. I washed them yesterday."

"Oh really? Are they dry?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

I hear the dryer door slam shut and Granger walks out with a clean pair of socks. "Okay I am ready." He says as he stuffs the socks into the bag and closes the suit case.

"Finally."

I walk back over the door, grab my suitcase and open the door. A hand almost hits my face. "Oh Sorry." Tobias says.

"No I'm sorry. We would've been there 20 minutes ago, but he doesn't realize that you need to pack things the night before."

"I see."

"Oh wait I'm forgetting something." Granger runs out of the room and I here more crashing.

"Granger!" I snap.

"Mom I'm coming."

I roll my eyes and look at Tobias. "I'm sorry."

He shrugs and leans against the door frame. "So is Aaralynn ever like this?"

"Yeah, she's made we drive home when we were halfway here to get some more stuff that she forgot to pack. The only difference is that she started packing over a week ago and finally stopped today."

I smile, "Well Granger started this morning, and you can see what the outcome is now."

"Granger Alexzander if you aren't coming in the next 10 seconds I will unleash Bear and make you chase him down the whole compound again."

"Mom..."

"10...9...8...7..." The crashing is getting louder and louder and faster and faster. "6...5...4..."

"Mom the closet door isn't shutting."

"3...2..."

Granger runs out with a hockey stick and skates in hand he ends up tripping over the coffee table and lands at my feet.

"1."

"Ha. I'm getting better."

I roll my eyes and he grabs the suitcase and balances that with his stick and his skates.

He starts walking out the door and sneaks past Tobias, almost wacking him with the damn stick. He's halfway down the hall when I hear him shout. "Hey what are you guys doing you're going to make us late!"


We've been on the road for a few hours, bored out of our minds. Tobias's truck was slightly interesting at first, but now its just a regular black Chevy truck.

Bear's head is right next to mine and his dog breath has started to finally make me gag. Geez, didn't we brush his teeth before we left? I look back to where the kids are and Granger is jamming out to music and Aaralynn is laying on Bear, petting him. "How many miles until the next town?" Aaralynn asks.

"About 10." Tobias says slowing down for the stop sign.

"Okay can we stop at a gas station so I can take out my contacts? I kind of want to sleep."

"Yeah we need to get some gas anyway."

I take out my laptop and look up some of the details about the mission. I was supposed to get a message from Christina when they got there, because they left the day before so I doesn't look suspicious. I didn't get a message from Chris but I got one from the school that the kids will be attending for the time being. Its a school for the children of the agents of the Convergent. Kids come and go at the school and you can only get in if you are a Convergent agent. Lucky that I was one for a few years because we would be screwed for this mission.

"Did Christina ever talk to you, yet?" Tobias asks.

"No not yet, but I did get an email from the kid's school." I scroll down and look. Its nothing but a bunch of rules and guidelines for the school. Apparently the security around the school is difficult.

"What is it?"

"Just a hand book. Their uniform has to be worn everyday expect Wednesdays or on special Fridays, violating the code will cause detentions...yada, yada, yada...no cell phones during class. Oh speaking of which-" I dig in my bag and hand everyone a different cell phone than the other one that we all have. "New cell phones for the mission. Do not give anyone your phone number that you have now, your new numbers are on the screen. Along with the phone comes with new contacts of everyone that you need to contact. Like my number, but fathers number, Christina, and Uriah's, but there names are under there fake ones. I also have some more stuff for you but they can wait until they get there."

"Sweet." Aaralynn says as I hand her the phone. "Hey-"

She stops mid-sentence and at first I think its nothing until I hear Granger start to freak out.

"Aaralynn-Aaralynn-what-why? She's not breathing."

Tobias jerks the car to the side of the road and throws it in park. "Granger find the oxygen tank in the back seat." We both hop out of the car and I open the door to get Bear to the front seat. Tobias rushes to hook up the oxygen tank and I help him lay her down in the back.

"Tobias I got her back here, go get us to the hospital." He nods and him and Granger rush to the front of the trunk.

"Make sure she keeps her eyes open on the way there. If she closes then it won't be good." Tobias snaps at me.

I hop in back and rest her head on my lap. Tobias speeds onto the road towards the hospital. "Its okay sweetheart, it will be okay. Just focus on me." I stroke her hair and Aaralynn closes her eyes. "No Aaralynn, I need you to look at me honey, just keep looking at me." Her eyes open weakly and I keep talking to her in soothing voices.

Aaralynn closes her eyes again and this time she doesn't open them again at my attempts to have her try. "Tobias hurry." I say. "Come one sweetheart stay with us. Don't leave us now. I want to be your mother for a long time."